KENTA Makes Surprise Debut for NJPW; Declares Himself for G1 Climax Tournament

KENTA made his surprise debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling at their Dominion 2019 event held earlier today in Osaka, Japan.

Following the end of the IWGP Tag Team Championship match, Katsuyori Shibata made a surprise appearance and pointed to the stage for a mystery person to come out. That person ended up being KENTA, who briefly introduced himself to the crowd and declared himself as a competitor for this year’s G1 Climax tournament.

KENTA had spent the past five years in WWE as Hideo Itami before requesting and being granted his release in February of this year. Prior to joining WWE in 2014, KENTA primarily wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan.

It is currently not known if KENTA has signed an actual contract with NJPW or is only working as a freelancer for the company.